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PHOTO: About 200 people attended the kickoff for the Augusta Civic Center’s 50th anniversary year. Former City Manager William Bridgeo (background) was one of the speakers at the Jan. 17 event. (Maureen Milliken photo)
AUGUSTA – The Augusta Civic Center kicked off a year-long 50th anniversary celebration on Jan. 17 with a free community party that included a display of photos of Civic Center events ranging from 1973 to the present time, music by groups that have performed there, free food prepared by the Civic Center’s culinary team and remarks from community leaders.
About 200 area residents, politicians, Civic Center staff past and present, and others attended the ceremony at 76 Community Drive, in north Augusta. The Augusta Police Department honor guard presented the U.S. and Maine flags, and the Cony High School Madrigals sang the national anthem. Speakers were Civic Center Director Margaret Noel, Augusta Mayor Mark O’Brien, Augusta City Manager Susan Robertson, and former Augusta City Manager William Bridgeo, who is now a Maine state representative for Augusta. Bridgeo, in his role as a state rep, presented Noel with a legislative sentiment commemorating the occasion. A representative for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also presented brief remarks from Collins.
The Augusta Civic Center is a city-owned property that opened Jan. 6, 1973, on what was then Augusta-Belgrade Road, renamed Civic Center Drive. Besides many concerts over the years, the Civic Center has hosted the Maine State Agricultural Trades Show since it opened (it was its first major event), the state high school basketball tournament, generations of Cony High School graduations, and more. Golden anniversary events this year will include an attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for Elvis impersonators in one place.
Elvis Presley’s May 24, 1977, concert at the Civic Center was his only Maine appearance, and a plaque commemorating the occasion is on the wall in the lobby. He died three months later. Other events will be announced on the Civic Center’s new website, augustaciviccenter.org, and its Facebook page.
PHOTO: The Augusta Police Department Honor Guard, followed by the Cony High School Madrigals, open the Jan. 17 50th anniversary kickoff at the Augusta Civic Center Jan. 17. (below) Augusta Mayor Mark O’Brien speaks at the ceremony in front of a logo designed by Ryan Pelletier, a 2022 Cony High School graduate. Pelletier won a scholarship contest with his design, which will be used for all of this year’s anniversary events and materials. (middle)
State Rep. William Bridgeo, who was Augusta city manager from 1998 to 2021, presents Augusta Civic Center Director Margaret Noel with a legislative sentiment. (bottom) (Maureen Milliken photos)
